For Jewish communities around the world, February is known as JDAIM (Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month) – a month dedicated to raising awareness and promoting inclusion for people with disabilities.
Aaron Kaufman, Senior Manager of Legislative Affairs at Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), dedicates every day of his personal and professional life to disability awareness, acceptance, inclusion, advocacy and attitude change.
Kaufman can often be seen walking around the Capitol with the aid of a walker and knocking on elected officials’ doors, and he often uses his disability and sense of humor to put representatives and senators at ease about disability issues.
Kaufman, 34, has been an advocate for people with disabilities for as long as he can remember. His expertise comes from his personal experience with both visible and invisible disabilities. He was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects a person’s coordination, ability to walk, and ability to maintain balance and posture. He is also doubly exceptional (“2e”), meaning he is both gifted and learning disabled.
Though Kaufman boasts a lot of success in her career, she’s quick to point out that life hasn’t always been easy. “I don’t love my disability. Life can be frustrating,” Kaufman says. “My parents taught me to be in control of my frustrations and to fight for people who have bigger problems than me.” Library of Congress (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
She didn’t have to go far to find such people: “My younger brother has cerebral palsy and it is more severe and he needs more support and assistance.”
Mr. Kaufman has always been an ambassador and role model for people with disabilities. In his senior year, Mr. Kaufman became involved in raising awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of people with dual disabilities. He took honors classes in English and history while receiving special education assistance in math and science.
During his senior year of high school, he successfully enabled residents of his hometown of Montgomery County, Maryland, to vote at an easily accessible elections center near their homes.
“I’ve always believed that you should fight for change rather than complain,” he says.
Kaufman attended the University of Maryland, where he graduated with a BA in American Studies, then took a job in the Maryland State Assembly and taught at Ivymount School, a prestigious Rockville school for children with autism and other developmental disabilities, where he helped people with disabilities learn job skills and what he calls “workplace etiquette.”
He then moved into more focused advocacy work, spending two years as a public policy specialist at ARC of Maryland, a disability rights organization, before beginning work at JFNA, which represents more than 300 Jewish communities in the U.S. and Canada. Through planned giving and endowment programs, JFNA raises and distributes more than $2 billion annually to support Jewish communities across the country and in Israel.
“In 2016, I jumped into federal advocacy because of Jerry Silverman. [former president and CEO of JFNA] Eric Fingerhut [current president and CEO of JFNA]”JFNA makes disability a key component of what we do,” Kaufman said, and he’s proud of the work JFNA has done with people with disabilities.
“They believe in inclusion in Kishke! JFNA is one of the leaders in the disability field. We are part of an important coalition [he rattles off a long list of coalitions where he represents JFNA]”We are one of the go-to sources when it comes to disability policy.”
Kaufman is especially proud of two major efforts he’s been involved in in recent years. “I played a key role in killing a bill called the ADA Education Reform Act, which would have gutted the Americans with Disabilities Act by shifting compliance with the ADA from businesses to individuals with disabilities,” Kaufman says. “If I hadn’t been able to get in the store, this new law would have required businesses to fix the problem or move forward with a solution within 180 days.”
Kaufman laughed at another example: “If you have to go to a funeral and you can’t get into the funeral home, you don’t have 30 days to wait!” he continued. “It’s given businesses 31 years to deal with that.” He’s glad the bill was defeated in 2018.
More recently, Kaufman is proud of what he and his colleagues at the Strategic Health Resource Center accomplished with the American Rescue Plan: “We fought hard and succeeded in getting $12.67 billion for home- and community-based services for people with disabilities.”
Kaufman points out that Jews and the general public are more familiar with JFNA’s other areas of work, such as supporting Israel and securing grants for synagogue security, than they are with its work supporting people with disabilities.
“It’s important for you to know that we have a powerful plan in the country, that we are living out our b’tzelem Elohim (being created in the image of God) every day.”
Kaufman is grateful that JFNA leaders recognized his talents while also accepting and supporting his weaknesses. “Everybody talks about wanting to be inclusive. My bosses at JFNA accepted me for who I am.”
They also offered support and attention: in Kaufman’s case, they secured proofreading and editing assistance and purchased the Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech-recognition software package. “We all have our own quirks,” Kaufman adds.
This support has helped Kaufman thrive: He has worked at JFNA for six years, and his colleagues and other professionals there are pleased with his work.
“I had the great honor of hiring Aaron and mentoring him at the Jewish Federations of North America,” reports William C. Daroff, who for 14 years served as senior vice president for public policy and director of the Washington office of the Jewish Federations of North America and is now CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
“From the moment I first met Aaron, I was impressed with his winning attitude and great personality. As I lobbied the White House and Congress, it became clear to me that Aaron is a born advocate,” Daroff said. “He has an uncanny ability to read his audience and discern the best way to persuade them.”
“Aaron Kaufman is a highly respected leader who brings his authentic experience as a disabled person to the policy space. He is trusted and influential,” added Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, the recently retired co-founder of RespectAbility, a national nonprofit that combats bias and promotes opportunity for people with disabilities.
“We need more disabled leaders like Kaufman in Jewish organizations so that the one in five Jews with disabilities can have an equal voice and contribute as anyone else,” she says.
Kaufman loves his job, saying, “We have a seat at the table at important discussions.” He’s proud that JFNA’s work is recognized. “Sometimes legislators send me drafts and ask me to read them and give JFNA feedback.”
Elana Breutman, JFNA’s senior vice president of public affairs, added, “Inclusion is a core value of Judaism and a priority in JFNA’s daily work. By breaking down barriers to inclusion and promoting policies that empower people with disabilities, we are helping to build a more equitable, just and tolerant society.”
Currently, Kaufman and his colleagues are hard at work planning the 12th annual Jewish Disability Advocacy Day (JDAD, Feb. 23-24), which will bring together members of the disability community, advocates and community leaders to break down barriers to opportunity and inclusion.
This year, JDAD’s work will focus on securing an additional $150 billion in a revised Build Back Better legislative package to expand Medicaid-funded home- and community-based services for low-income people with disabilities, shorten long wait lists for care, and pass the ABLE Age Adjustment Act, a tax-free savings account for individuals who become disabled before age 26 to help with disability-related expenses.
The ABLE Act allows people who become disabled later in life (up to age 46) to open these tax-free accounts, providing financial stability to more than 6 million adults. JFNA estimates that 61 million American adults live with a disability.
While Kaufman enjoys many aspects of his job, he takes particular pride in teaching by being himself. “My favorite thing about my job is busting myths and misconceptions about Capitol Hill,” Kaufman says. “By having me here, people learn not to judge someone by their appearance!”